Indoor football: SIFL looking for gems

INDOOR FOOTBALLSIFL looking for gems at February tryoutsIndoor league starting up in March

MATT RYBALTOWSKI, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Published
6:30 am CST, Thursday, February 3, 2011

For the past several years, Blake Johnson has spent several stints in Iraq as a building site coordinator for military contractor Kellogg Brown & Root. While in the Persian Gulf, football couldn't have been further from his mind.

But as Johnson considers severing ties with the company when his contract expires later this summer, he may rekindle his dormant football career. In 2002, Johnson was a standout linebacker at Channelview High School, where he played alongside Chicago Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox. Johnson hasn't played since.

"I am in the process of getting back in shape," Johnson, 26, said. "I want to be able to pad up and hit."

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While the NFL is out of question for Johnson, the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) is a viable alternative. The third-year league is conducting several open tryouts at SIFL combines throughout Texas over the next few weeks, including one at the Berry Center Feb. 19 from noon to 4 p.m. The expansion Houston Stallions, one of 16 teams in the league, will play the first game in franchise history on March 19 vs. Rio Grand Valley at the Berry Center.

"Whether you're just coming from college or you've been out for a couple years, we're looking for guys with multiple years of experience," said Ollie Guidry, a coordinator for the tryouts and a coach with experience in the NFL, Arena Football League, Arena Football 2 and the European Football League.

Players will be measured for height and weight and will be asked to complete a battery of tests during the combines administered by the Ring of Champions Showcase (ROCS). Potential candidates will be timed in the 40-yard dash and a shuttle run. In the small confines of an Arena Football field, speed and quickness are a necessity.

"For the skill guys, their times (in the 40) are anywhere from 4.4 to 4.7," Guidry said. "You need someone who will work well in a small space and is quick and agile."

The combine will also include a standing broad jump test, a powerball exercise designed to assess explosive strength and individual position drills. In the powerball, players stand with their feet shoulders width apart, explode from a two-point stance and push a 15-pound ball from their waists. Any throw of at least 40 feet is considered impressive, Guidry said.

"You see some of the corn bread-eating guys that have been on the farm all the day and they throw the thing 50 yards," Guidry said. "They make it look easy."

The combines will be overseen by ROCS CEO Bruce Cowdrey, who also serves as a scout in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Cowdrey has served on coaching staffs for three championship professional teams during his four decades of coaching. He won a Grey Cup as an assistant with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1991, an ArenaCup as head coach of the Peoria Pirates in 2002 and worked as a special teams coach with the AFL champion Chicago Rush in 2006.

The combines will be overseen by ROCS CEO Bruce Cowdrey, who also serves as a scout in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Cowdrey has served on coaching staffs for three championship professional teams during his four decades of coaching. He won a Grey Cup as an assistant with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1991, an ArenaCup as head coach of the Peoria Pirates in 2002 and worked as a special teams coach with the AFL champion Chicago Rush in 2006.

Once the combines are completed, a report is written up on each player and sent to the SIFL league office. Players can be assigned to any of the teams in the SIFL or other smaller indoor teams in the state, according to Guidry.

"You get some guys that haven't worked out, they've been on the couch watching TV and they think they can come out here and do it," Guidry said. "It's a process of elimination, we're going to go through this process to see if you can play football."

For more information, visit www.southernifl.com and gohoustonstallions.com or call 281-508-5579.

For more information, visit www.southernifl.com and gohoustonstallions.com or call 281-508-5579.